In early November I went to the Moab area for four days as part of a meetup group trip. On the first day we hiked the many arches along the Devil’s Garden trail in Aches National Park. On the second day, we headed off to Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky district. On the third day we drove and hiked in Arches National Park again. On the final day we went to Dead Horse Point State Park for a 6 mile hike around the peninsula-shaped mesa.
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The best part of our Utah trip was spending a leisurely four days backing 12-14 miles in Coyote Gulch. Coyote Gulch is a desert paradise! We found beautiful campsites along the river every day.
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Day 1
For our first day, we started at the Crack-in-the-Wall trailhead. Our route took us across the open desert about 2 miles to the rim of the canyon. The initial drop into the canyon is through an narrow crack in the rock, too narrow for backpacks. We lowered our packs about 30 feet with a rope. As we descended toward Coyote Gulch, we had magnificent views of the Escalante River towards Steven’s Arch. Once down in Coyote Gulch, we found a beautiful campsite on a sandy bank beside the river. The total hiking distance for the day was 3-4 miles.
Day 2
Our 2nd day took us about 5 miles up river to a camp just before Coyote Natural Bridge. The high temperatures for the day were in the 80s. We hiked in the river most of the day. We dunked under waterfalls and did “water yoga” – yoga in the shallow river. At the end of the day we found a campsite just before Coyote Natural Bridge and a built a small rock dam in the river to create a pool in which to soak.
Day 3
Our third day in Coyote Gulch was one to relax and enjoy being here. We hiked about a mile up river to a beautiful campsite we found the previous day. We set our things down and explored up canyon toward the possible climbing route to exit Coyote Gulch. On the way, we ran into a Mormon quartet singing in a magnificent stone cathedral. Their beautiful voices echoed off the stone walls filling us with awe and reverence. Later in the day, we relaxed back in camp, played games, and bathed in the river. What a delightful day! We are so blessed!
Day 4
On our last day in Coyote Gulch our group split up. I choose to take the challenging climbing route out of Coyote Gulch with one other friend to the Water Tank trailhead. The others took the hiking route via Hurricane Wash. The climbing route was a thrill and challenge. The view of Jacob Hamblin Arch from the top of the canyon was other-worldly.
Lawrence Pallant Photography 